Donald Trump campaigned on the promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA or Obamacare). Within hours of being sworn in, the new President issued an executive order to “seek the prompt repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” What steps Congress will take to strip away the provisions…
Pregnancy & Birth
Empowered Birth: The Trouble With Interventions (And When They May Be A Good Thing)
Over the years, the definition of “medical necessity” has become interchangeable with “medical convenience.” And there’s no better example of this than birth, and its tedious list of interventions. The issues around interventions aren’t surprising when you realize that they were originally devised, prescribed, and pushed by male “experts.” Many believed that new medical instruments and processes…
Creating Meaningful Rituals for the Fourth Trimester
Every new parent goes through something of an initiation during the monumental transition of the fourth trimester. Changes happen on a profoundly spiritual and psychological level right after having a baby, and many cultures around the world recognize this with some sort of rite of passage. These rites of passage are important for several different…
What’s Your Score? How to find out if your personal care products are truly safe
When our friends at Earth Mama Angel Baby asked their followers to check the toxicity scores of their personal care products, they quickly realized how much work is still needed to raise awareness of what we’re putting on our kids and ourselves. “I felt a little bit duped!” shares Mikki Bell, mother of one and…
Postnatal Care: How To Truly Blossom as a Woman and Mother
Motherhood. An amazing, gorgeous, exhausting, empowering, emotional, and beautiful journey. A journey that we, as women, have been called to embrace and enjoy. A journey that is unique and personal. A journey that lasts a lifetime. In order to truly tap into your full being as a mother, you must understand the importance of practicing…
Gentle Parenting: Nesting Without a Nursery
Pregnancy reconnects us with some of nature’s most primal instincts. Just hearing the term nesting might bring the image to your mind of a beautiful round mama robin tirelessly building her nest in just the right spot. Most (but not all) pregnant women experience the nesting instinct, too. Even fathers-to-be aren’t immune to the uncontrollable urge…
Herbal Essentials for Nurturing Life
As parents, we all strive for a nurturing life. We strive to offer our closest loved ones the tender love and care that they need and deserve. Whether they’ve had a bad day and are in need of some extra gentleness or need their physical pains eased, it’s what parenthood – and family – is…
Helpful Herbs for Increasing Your Milk Supply
You know the importance of proper nutrition, getting enough rest, and putting a good support system in place to help during your pregnancy and after you bring baby home. Another important part of that support system is planning for how you will care for and nourish your baby. One of the best things you can…
How to Choose a Breast Pump
Breastfeeding is not just best for your baby, it’s the biological norm. While breast milk has all the nutrients a baby needs during his first six months of life and offers protection against several illnesses, breastfeeding has many benefits for the mother, too. If you’re expecting and have decided to breastfeed your baby, you have probably…
Postpartum depression is real. It’s okay to call it what it is.
Postpartum depression……shhhhhh. We don’t talk about that here, that’s for other people. Even the acronym PPD feels safer to say: contained, sweet, easy. The truth is, I knew I was at risk, I knew all too well, but knowing doesn’t equate preventing. I mean, one can know they are about to be in a car…
Green Child’s 6th Annual Eco Baby Gear Guide Spring 2016
Looking for the best eco baby gear guide? From the moment we know a new little one is on the way, we plan and prepare for his or her arrival. While “things” may not be our niche, a few useful and sustainable tools can certainly help you along your parenting journey. We hope you enjoy…
Ask The Herbalist: Natural Remedies for Hemorrhoids
Q: Are there any natural remedies for hemorrhoids? I am really having issues with them, but I prefer to avoid over the counter treatments and I don’t want to resort to surgery. A: Hemorrhoids can be an unpleasant – but not uncommon – side effect of pregnancy or giving birth. There are several natural remedies…
The Healing Power of Rest: Postpartum Lying-In With Your New Baby
Have you considered a postpartum lying-in with your new baby? It’s the ultimate bonding experience for baby, and the ultimate act of self-care for you. When we talk about bringing baby home in America these days, it’s often discussed in a glossy magazine format. We need to have the Pinterest-perfect nursery ready (even if baby…
How to Create an Organized & Eco-friendly Nursery
Creating an eco-friendly nursery means keeping as many chemicals and unnatural by-products out of your baby’s space as possible. Even if you can’t address everything sustainably, your efforts toward creating a healthy, clean, non-toxic space will absolutely benefit the health of your new little one. Chemicals in carpets, furniture, mattresses, and even household dust are all contributing…
The Benefits of Craniosacral Therapy for Babies
It sounds more complicated than it is, but the benefits of Craniosacral Therapy for babies are many and they’re worth considering. In a complicated birth, a baby can face a number of stressful challenges on her journey into this world. Craniosacral therapy for babies may sound mysterious, but it can be tremendously beneficial to many newborns. Some…
The Secrets of a Blissful Birth
Giving birth is beautiful. The result of your nine-month journey has come down to this: Getting to meet your child, and being gifted life’s greatest present: motherhood. With that being said, birthing a baby can be stressful to your mind and body. However, there are practices you can learn to better improve your mental state…
Hiking My Way to Happiness: A Journey Through Postpartum Depression – Hike It Baby
The joke among my friends for many years was that a depressing day for me was the same as most people’s emotional state on a good day. Then I turned 38, and I won’t go into details, but I reached a point where I couldn’t even talk to my life coach without crying, so she…
The Best of Both Worlds: Natural Birth in a Private Suite
…Featuring the Karmanos Center for Natural Birth “Your body knows how to do this… your baby knows how to do this…” These are the words I find myself hypnotically saying at almost every birth, as I watch a mama dive deep into herself to bring her child into the world. Your body, when left alone…
In Your Loving Hands: The benefits of infant massage
Better health, improved sleep, increased bonding, and overall wellbeing…. these are some of the remarkable benefits of infant massage. We all hold the innate gift of a healing touch. Throughout history, from ancient to modern times, there are references to this most natural ability. With kind touch, we’re able to deeply connect to others, to…
How to Host an Eco Friendly Baby Shower
We never get tired of finding ways to make parties greener. An eco-friendly baby shower is no exception. There are so many ways – both new and old – to create a natural, healthy baby shower that helps the mother-to-be without harming Mother Earth. If there’s ever a perfect time to host an eco-friendly celebration,…
Serena Dyer on Growing up with Spiritual Parents, Attachment Parenting, and Her New Book
Natural parenting doesn’t always come… naturally. Some of us are still working through less than ideal habits and patterns that were handed to us by our own parents. And even for those of us with a healthy upbringing, it can be challenging to tune in and access our intuition in this noisy world. Imagine if…
Help! The Internet is Giving Me Pregnancy Anxiety!
Raise your hand if you’ve ever googled your way into an obsessive parenting frenzy. Whether it’s a strange pain during pregnancy or baby’s first fever, today you can access a million answers in mere moments. Some of the answers you find will put your mind instantly at ease. Others might just have you rushing to…
Prenatal Yoga for an Easier Natural Birth
You already know how yoga can help improve flexibility and calm your nerves. But, did you know, a prenatal yoga practice can also set you up for an easier birth? The National Institute of Health reports that mothers who practiced yoga during pregnancy experienced decreased preterm labor, fewer instances of low birth weight, and significantly…
Beyond Morning Sickness: Understanding Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Editor’s note: Our friend and occasional contributor, Jessica Martin-Weber mother of seven and founder of The Leaky Boob, candidly shares her experience with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. HG affects up to 2 percent of pregnancies and is a severe manifestation of morning sickness, causing frequent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Being careful not to jostle me, my…
